Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Stuff You Should Be Aware Of #8
U2- Lemon. I like this tune, and some people don't really know it exists. It comes from 1993's Zooropa, the companion piece to Achtung Baby. So clearly, it's from U2's creative height.
Friday, March 19, 2010
should have done this years ago
Universal Announces Plan to Lower CD Prices to $10 or Less
That's great. Trouble is, who do you have to sell them wholesale to?
I was just thinking the other day about how many record stores there used to be in this town about ten years ago. Now, there's only one plus the big box stores like Target, Wal-Mart, and Best Buy. Plus, this store seems to be phasing music out in favor of DVDs and video games. :(
But it's great to see at least one label finally understand a cardinal lesson from Economics 101- when demand goes down, so does price.
That's great. Trouble is, who do you have to sell them wholesale to?
I was just thinking the other day about how many record stores there used to be in this town about ten years ago. Now, there's only one plus the big box stores like Target, Wal-Mart, and Best Buy. Plus, this store seems to be phasing music out in favor of DVDs and video games. :(
But it's great to see at least one label finally understand a cardinal lesson from Economics 101- when demand goes down, so does price.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
count 'em up
I wanted to know, once and for all, how many individual albums I owned. So I counted them up this evening. The results will follow.
I counted double albums as one, so something like Kiss Alive or Metallica's Garage Inc. would only count as one. I'm not counting the number of CDs, I'm basically counting the packages. However, a box set such as Pearl Jam Live at the Gorge would count as three (even though there are 9 CDs in the box), and Kiss' box set would be five. LPs, where many of the pieces I own are spread across two albums like Pearl Jam's Riot Act, only count as one. CDs I burned from live shows I've been to were left off, as were blank cassettes I dubbed. I hope all this makes sense.
The numbers, as of 3/16/2010:
342 CDs
65 33 1/3rpm LPs
7 45rpm singles
50 cassettes
I'll be honest, I thought I owned a lot more CDs than that, but still, moving around almost 350 CDs is no easy task, and storing them these days is a pain since all the record stores no longer exist, henceforth, things like easily finding CD storage are a thing of the past, as is LP storage. Hell, so is cassette storage. Mine are just in a cardboard box except for the copy of Van Halen's first in my car.
Now, I suppose I'll be sorting things out by genre and band next. Total dorks like me do that.
I counted double albums as one, so something like Kiss Alive or Metallica's Garage Inc. would only count as one. I'm not counting the number of CDs, I'm basically counting the packages. However, a box set such as Pearl Jam Live at the Gorge would count as three (even though there are 9 CDs in the box), and Kiss' box set would be five. LPs, where many of the pieces I own are spread across two albums like Pearl Jam's Riot Act, only count as one. CDs I burned from live shows I've been to were left off, as were blank cassettes I dubbed. I hope all this makes sense.
The numbers, as of 3/16/2010:
342 CDs
65 33 1/3rpm LPs
7 45rpm singles
50 cassettes
I'll be honest, I thought I owned a lot more CDs than that, but still, moving around almost 350 CDs is no easy task, and storing them these days is a pain since all the record stores no longer exist, henceforth, things like easily finding CD storage are a thing of the past, as is LP storage. Hell, so is cassette storage. Mine are just in a cardboard box except for the copy of Van Halen's first in my car.
Now, I suppose I'll be sorting things out by genre and band next. Total dorks like me do that.
Monday, March 15, 2010
recent gets
Haven't done one of these in, like, forever it feels. So I'll be going back all the way to December, because I can.
Pink Floyd- The Wall: I am, of course, familiar with Pink Floyd, but I've never taken the time to properly get into them. It really struck me, since I never listened to the whole thing at once. It also inspired a series of short stories from me, the first of which you can readhere.
The Doors-The Future Starts Here- The Essential Doors Hits: Yet again, another band I was more than aware of. I had their first album, but must have gotten rid of it. So I picked this nice package up for $10 and regularly rock it in the car.
Red Hot Chili Peppers- Californication: I owned this on cassette, since that's what my car had for a music player at the time. Finally picked it up on CD, and it almost instantly transported me back to the summer of 1999, when I was 18 years old and still had hope.
Leonard Cohen- The Essential Leonard Cohen: It was an attempt to expand my horizons a little bit. Well, this must not be my power. John Cale's cover of 'Hallelujah' is one of my all-time favorite songs, but Cohen's original just isn't my bag, I'm afraid. However, when I was first getting into Tom Waits, I didn't get into it right away, and a few months later, I listened to Waits again, and it clicked. I'm hoping that's the case here. The songwriting is brilliant, but it's pretty tough to listen to Cohen's singing, which is monotone.
Regina Spektor- Far: Again, horizon-expanding purchase. I own her previous album, and thoroughly enjoyed it, and this new one is equally enjoyable. Spektor's songwriting is absolutely stellar.
The Beatles- A whole shitload of the Remasters: I've been waiting for these elegant remasters forever so I could finally score the Beatles catalog. So far- Help!, Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and the White Album. I only ever owned greatest hits packages from the Beatles, and a few stolen tunes, since these remasters have been years in the making. The more I dig into their catalog, the more I love this band. I'm working on scoring the rest of them, but it's hard for me to care about anything before Help!, since most of the stuff before that was pretty teenage. To be fair, Help has a bunch of songs in that same vein, but it also features 'You've Got To Hide Your Love Away', one of my favorite songs of all time. I don't really have to explain the rest- those four are what any self-respecting rock fan must own.
The Rolling Stones- Forty Licks: Another thing like Pink Floyd and the Doors- very much aware of their work, but I wanted to know more. So this. Man, did the Stones have some, well, stones. Now I need to find myself copies of Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main Street. See how this works? Though I should totally get that new turntable I found before I buy anything else. I have neglected any new vinyl purchases since my last phonograph bit the dust last summer. Good thing vinyl doesn't biodegrade.
Pink Floyd- The Wall: I am, of course, familiar with Pink Floyd, but I've never taken the time to properly get into them. It really struck me, since I never listened to the whole thing at once. It also inspired a series of short stories from me, the first of which you can readhere.
The Doors-The Future Starts Here- The Essential Doors Hits: Yet again, another band I was more than aware of. I had their first album, but must have gotten rid of it. So I picked this nice package up for $10 and regularly rock it in the car.
Red Hot Chili Peppers- Californication: I owned this on cassette, since that's what my car had for a music player at the time. Finally picked it up on CD, and it almost instantly transported me back to the summer of 1999, when I was 18 years old and still had hope.
Leonard Cohen- The Essential Leonard Cohen: It was an attempt to expand my horizons a little bit. Well, this must not be my power. John Cale's cover of 'Hallelujah' is one of my all-time favorite songs, but Cohen's original just isn't my bag, I'm afraid. However, when I was first getting into Tom Waits, I didn't get into it right away, and a few months later, I listened to Waits again, and it clicked. I'm hoping that's the case here. The songwriting is brilliant, but it's pretty tough to listen to Cohen's singing, which is monotone.
Regina Spektor- Far: Again, horizon-expanding purchase. I own her previous album, and thoroughly enjoyed it, and this new one is equally enjoyable. Spektor's songwriting is absolutely stellar.
The Beatles- A whole shitload of the Remasters: I've been waiting for these elegant remasters forever so I could finally score the Beatles catalog. So far- Help!, Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and the White Album. I only ever owned greatest hits packages from the Beatles, and a few stolen tunes, since these remasters have been years in the making. The more I dig into their catalog, the more I love this band. I'm working on scoring the rest of them, but it's hard for me to care about anything before Help!, since most of the stuff before that was pretty teenage. To be fair, Help has a bunch of songs in that same vein, but it also features 'You've Got To Hide Your Love Away', one of my favorite songs of all time. I don't really have to explain the rest- those four are what any self-respecting rock fan must own.
The Rolling Stones- Forty Licks: Another thing like Pink Floyd and the Doors- very much aware of their work, but I wanted to know more. So this. Man, did the Stones have some, well, stones. Now I need to find myself copies of Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main Street. See how this works? Though I should totally get that new turntable I found before I buy anything else. I have neglected any new vinyl purchases since my last phonograph bit the dust last summer. Good thing vinyl doesn't biodegrade.
Stuff You Should Be Aware Of #7
Pearl Jam on SNL this past weekend, rocking 'Just Breathe' (the current single) and what I think is the best (well, second-best) tune on 'Backspacer,' 'Unthought Known.'
Enjoy! This is all I get as well, since I won't be able to go to the St. Louis show in May. Sad faces.
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